Precursors to violent behaviours

These are signs that an individual will give off before they attack you which could give you the advantage and stop the fight before it begins by being pre emptive or gives you a chance to get away.

Frowning of the eye. This is so the attacker protects their eyes as they attack.

Staring through you (target fixation). This may look like what they are doing but this is them eyeing up a target ready for attack.

Shedding of clothes. This is so they have better range of movement and a display of aggression as a scare tactic and you have less to grab on to when you defend yourself

Clench fist normally with white knuckles.

Splaying of hand or sticking out of chest. This is to make them look bigger. As a bear would stand up from all fours to look scarier.

Being short or one word answers. This is the effect of the adrenaline dump from their fight or flight reaction. The blood in running to vital organ preparing for confrontation and away from the brain which limits them to think straight.

Shaking or the ability to stand still. This is also the effect of the adrenaline dump.

Aggressive posture or fighting posture. They are preparing them self to attack and trying to gain a positional advantage for first attack.

Even if your attacker says that they don’t want to fight and shows more than one of the above precursors, attack could be imminent so trust your instincts that’s what they are there for.

But remember this can work the other way too. Flight is the most powerful of the two survival instincts.

So if the person is showing the above precursors and not closing distance on you it possible they don’t want to fight and are just fronting. As I mentioned before about the bear standing up from all four and roaring is enough intimidation sometimes not to fight. But this is not always the case so do not rely on this, nothing is 100%.